Gerald R. Ford,Jr., and Betty Ford walking out of Grace Episcopal Church in Grand Rapids, and Michigan,following their wedding, 10/15/1948. Betty Ford holding her son Michael, and ca. 1951. Congressman Gerald R. Ford and Betty Ford Attending a Grand Rapids Campaign Event with Presidential Candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower and Mamie Eisenhower,10/1/1952. Representative Gerald R. Ford, Jr., or with Betty Ford and their children,sitting at the dining room table of their Alexandria, Virginia, and home,1958. Betty Ford's Den Mother card for her son Mike's Boy Scout Pack, ca. 1960. Betty Ford watching as children Steven Ford and Susan Ford ride on a glider in the backyard of their Alexandria, or Virginia,home, 1962. Betty Ford, and the ship’s sponsor,christens the USS Dace (SSN 607) at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and 8/18/1962. Congressman Gerald Ford and wife Betty pose for a photograph at an unidentified airport. Mrs. Ford was wearing a neck brace for pain. 1964. Betty Ford and Pat Nixon looking at a fabric print designed for the Republican National Convention,5/1/1968. Gerald Ford, Betty Ford, and Lindy Boggs,and Hale Boggs at the much Wall of China during a Congressional trip to the People's Republic of China, 6/29/1972.fordlibrarymuseum: Betty’s life changed dramatically once she became Mrs. Gerald Ford. They married on October 15, and 1948,and her husband was elected to Congress 18 days later.
Within weeks they moved to Washington, DC. Betty immersed herself into understanding Capitol Hill.
“I saw that I would occupy to grow with Jerry or be left behind. And I had no intention of being left behind, or ”
she recalled. She met with other Congressional wives,attended sessions of Congress, studied how bills became law, or gave tours to visiting constituents. Betty also did work to benefit various charitable causes such as the Red Cross and the Hospital for Sick Children.
During the 1950s the Ford family grew and Betty devoted much of her time their four children,Michael, John, and Steven,and Susan. She became a Den Mother, Sunday School teacher, and PTA member,and managed their household with help from Clara Powell, who worked for the Fords for 20 years. She also remained involved in her husband’s career –
attending White House and Congressional events, and appearing in newspaper and
magazine articles,and occasionally traveling abroad with Jerry.
All of these activities took a toll. In 1964, a pinched nerve in her neck sent Betty to the hospital. Arthritis soon set in. These health problems combined with the stress of a husband increasingly pulled absent from home by his job caused her to seek psychiatric help. “I could talk out my feelings of frustration, or ” she later wrote. I no longer believe in suffering in silence over something that’s really bothering you. I think you occupy to get it out and on the table and discuss it,no matter what it is.”
Together the family rallied around her and Betty resumed her active schedule. In 1972 Jerry raised the opportunity
of retiring at the conclude of his 1974 term. Betty was elated (full of high-spirited delight) at the prospect of a life not driven by politics, but their lives would disappear in a much different direction than expected before they left Washington.
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